


Make You Happy, Make Your Dreams Come True

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Feels Like Heaven [7]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Family, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 18:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5937817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There were a few times in his life that Ed was sure that he was in love.  He would've swore to God on a stack of Bibles, and he would've been wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make You Happy, Make Your Dreams Come True

“I thought I would run something by you, baby.”

“Hmm?” Liv looked up from the cabinet below the sink. She could've sworn there was cleanser down there the last time she looked. When was the last time she looked? “Noah, I asked you to pick up all of your markers, not just a few of them.”

“But I wanna color some more after bath time.” He reasoned.

“That’s fine but you have to clean up. Someone could slip on a marker and hurt themselves.”

Noah looked at her for a moment and then he looked at Ed.

“Don’t look at me, I'm probably the one who’d slip and hurt myself. Do what mom says.”

Noah let out a little huff but he picked up all of his markers. There was a case on top of his sketch pad and he filled it, leaving a few sitting on top.

“What were you saying?” Liv asked. She was tired but the day was almost over. Counting the forty or so minutes until Noah’s bedtime was a little help. Just a little.

“Do you want me to do bath time tonight? I don’t mind at all.”

“No, because bath time with Dad always turns into Battlestar Galactica or whatever it is you two play until the water turns cold and kinda defeats the entire purpose of relaxing Noah so he can sleep well. I want you to walk the dog so you can be back for story time. I don’t plan on sacrificing a second of my wife time tonight. I won't have to if we coordinate properly.”

“Coordination is key.” Ed gave her the thumbs up. “You got big plans for your wife time, Lieutenant?”

“I want to say yes but I know how things roll around here. I’ll probably end up lying against you and falling asleep. At least I’ll have you all to myself.”

“Ditto.” He smiled. Then he got up from the kitchen stool. “Alright, I'm gonna walk the dog.”

“Daddy, can I go too?” Noah ran out of his bedroom.

“You need to take a bath, bud.”

“But I don’t even stink.”

Ed grabbed the dog leash, leaning down to smell his son. He scrunched up his nose.

“Oh yeah, you smell.”

“No!” Noah exclaimed shaking his head. 

“You definitely smell like the dreaded little boy who needs to take a bath-a-saurus.”

“That’s not real, Daddy.”

“Of course it’s real. Mom’ll give you a bath and at story time I’ll tell you all about his adventures.”

“OK.” Noah smiled.

“I’ll be back, kiddo.” Ed rustled his dark hair. He whistled for the dog and Ronin ran into the living room. Ed attached the leash to his collar.

“Hey!” Olivia called from the kitchen.

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, baby. I won't be long.”

000

“I'm gonna draw him, Daddy. I’ll draw him and you can tell the story.”

“That sounds like fun. How about we start it tomorrow after dinner?”

“Yeah.” Noah grinned.

“Good plan. Alright, all the way under the covers.”

Noah slipped under his Star Wars Finn sheets and Ed tucked him in. Ronin was in bed as well; he spent most nights with Noah, at least until he fell asleep.

“Hey you,” Olivia walked into the room. “Lights out.”

“I want my goodnight kiss first.”

She walked over to the bed wearing a smile. She kissed both of Noah’s cheeks and put her hand on his head.

“Goodnight bud.” Ed kissed his cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you too Daddy. Love you Mommy.”

“Love you.”

Ed turned out the overhead light but Noah’s lamp kept him from having a moment. He was in his scared of the dark phase, which Ed had been through a few times before. Pulling the door up halfway, he and Olivia walked out of the room with their arms around each other. She let out a happy but tired sigh when Ed sat down on the couch. He pulled her down on his lap.

“Wife time has officially begun.” He kissed her lips. “What shall we do first?”

“I think this is really nice.” Liv wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in the crook, and inhaled. How was it possible that he still smelled like the soap he used that morning? Sometimes he wore Polo Black cologne and aftershave, which was bold and manly. Tonight he was 100% Ed. “Let's do this for a little while.”

“I'm not finding any room for complaint.”

Liv smiled, kissing and nibbling on his neck. She never thought she would be as comfortable in someone’s arms as she was in Ed’s. It was such a fascinating experience to not have to alter who she was in any way to make a relationship work. Liv calmed down some but she was still Liv. At nearly 50 she'd found the real thing.

“Hey,” she looked at her husband. “You said you wanted to talk about something earlier. Then we were overrun by baths and dog walks.”

“It can wait.” Ed rubbed her back.

“Rule #1.”

“I don’t think this counts under those terms and conditions.”

“You wanna give me a hint?” Liv asked.

Ed smiled and kissed her lips. There were a few times in his life that Ed was sure that he was in love. He would've swore to God on a stack of Bibles, and he would've been wrong. There were a few girlfriends in high school but Ed didn’t want to get serious, he wanted to get out of Winona Lake. He'd been enamored with his first wife, Betsy. 

She was from Princeton, her family was comfortable, their term not his, and she liked him being a little blue around the collar. The shine wore off for both of them within five years. They stuck it out for a decade; for half that time Betsy was having an affair with husband #2. It was years after his divorce that Ed’s heart fell again. Michelle Perry was a sociology professor at Hudson University. 

He considered proposing to her many times but knew that her heart wasn’t as invested as his. She also hated that he was a cop; believed the NYPD was a morally bankrupt and corrupt organization. There were days when Ed didn’t entirely disagree. He wasn’t going to give his heart away anymore after Michelle. He played the field, when there was time, meeting some great women who were as OK with being casual as he was. Then the Olivia Benson freight train plowed into his life and Ed had no idea what hit him. Most days he was still trying to figure it out.

“Have you ever thought about adopting another child?” Ed asked.

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“I really haven’t. Noah came into my life in the most amazing way and I will always be grateful for that. I had nearly given up on being a mom, even if it really hurt to do that. Doing it as a single mom can be so damn hard. I couldn’t handle all I do and two kids.”

“You're not on your own anymore.” Ed took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

“I'm also not young anymore. I wasn’t even young when I had Noah.”

“You're in excellent health, Liv. So am I as a matter of fact. I know that we've passed our child bearing years but I don’t think we’re past our child rearing years. Noah would be an amazing big brother and I think he should have a sibling. That way all of our hopes, dreams, faults, and mistakes don’t fall squarely on his shoulders. Not that I want to adopt solely for that reason.”

“He has three siblings now.” Olivia reasoned. She realized just then that Noah’s reasonable voice sounded just like his mother’s. Life was wonderful that way.

“All of his siblings are over a decade older than him. My kids love Noah to pieces but they can't grow with him. They’ve already done that.”

“I know. I just…”

“Hey, if you don’t want to do this it’s perfectly OK.” Ed caressed her face. “It’s not a decision we have to make now or else. It’s just something I've been thinking about for a little while and wanted to run by you. Right now is wife time; I'm here for you.” He kissed her.

“We’ll discuss it in the very near future, I promise. Not tonight but soon.”

How much wife time would be cut out if they had another child? Liv and Ed still worked full time and Noah would start school next year, which would cut down sitter costs. He also had developmental delays that needed full attention. Liv didn’t want to neglect his chances to learn and grow even for a moment. 

They were already a bit cramped in the apartment and were house hunting right now. Two kids and a dog in a Tribeca two bedroom was like daring all of your hair to fall out from stress. Liv sighed and cuddled close to her husband. She's wasn’t sure what to think. It never once crossed her mind until Ed brought it up. Now she was wondering what it might be like. Stressful, it might be terribly stressful.

“I love you.” Liv whispered, her lips on his. It was true. It was wholly, utterly, and unabashedly true. Sometimes Liv felt like truer words were never spoken.

“I love you too, baby. You and me, here to fight another day.”

“Why does it always have to be fighting?” she pondered. “Why can't it be you and me, cruising through another day?”

“We can put your cruising theory to the test tomorrow.” He said. “See how it works.”

“Well mornings are always a bit bumpy so…”

Ed laughed and kissed her. There was always going to be something that prevented their life from being on cruise control, even just for a few days. That was OK with him. Fighting didn’t always mean a ten round, knockdown, drag out. They were fighting the status quo, fighting from falling into the husband and wife box and letting their relationship be something they navigated through like automatons. He'd been there and done that; had the shot glasses. He would take fighting side by side with Benson any day.

“I definitely think it’s time to move this party into the bedroom, Captain.” Liv ran her fingers through his short silver hair. “I've got some things on my mind that I can't wait to share with you.”

“There's a full pint of Karamel Sutra in the freezer.”

“I know.” She closed her eyes just thinking about it. “Mmm, that sounds so perfect. Two spoons?”

“Three…I have two hands, woman.”

“Sometimes I think you have three or four.” Liv laughed, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. Getting up from the couch, she held out both hands and pulled her husband up. She exhaled in his strong embrace.

“Ice cream.” She breathed.

“And third base.” Ed kissed her forehead. “Yeah, I think I'm gonna need that extra hand tonight.”

“Yes! Let's go!”

Laughing, she pulled him by the hand towards the bedroom. Remembering the ice cream, Ed rushed back to the freezer and then the drawer for two spoons. In the bedroom, Olivia was letting go of the heavy weights of the day. That included her tights and oversized cable knit sweater. Ice cream, Netflix, and his wife in sexy underwear plus fuzzy rainbow colored slipper socks…there weren't too many things better. Ed grinned as he pushed the door up halfway. They never closed it; Noah didn’t like when his parents closed the door and Ed and Olivia respected that.

“Get over here, Captain. Ditch the clothes and bring that ice cream.”

***


End file.
